Method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt

A method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt, the method comprising:

• producing an alloy containing copper metal, nickel metal, and cobalt metal in the form of an alloy powder;
• adding a sulfurization agent to the alloy powder to establish a joint presence of the sulfurization agent and the alloy powder;
• wherein the sulfurization agent is one or more selected from the group consisting of elemental sulfur, hydrogen sulfide gas, sodium hydrogen sulfide and sodium sulfide;
• and
• bringing the alloy powder into contact with sulfuric acid in the joint presence, whereby the nickel metal and the cobalt metal are leached from the alloy powder and the copper metal contained in the alloy powder is sulfurized by the sulfurization agent to obtain a solid containing copper sulfide and a leachate containing the nickel existing as an ion and the cobalt existing as an ion.